FWRP 28

Chapter: 28

“Um…… Ian?”

She caught his rapidly moving gaze, as though he were looking for an exit.

“Here, the entrance is also the exit.”

“……?”

“To get off, you have to do this.”

Vanessa traced a circle with her index finger.

“You have to go all the way around and return to the starting point.”

“What…….”

Ian slightly lifted the canopy and quickly looked around.

……I had a feeling, but he really didn’t know.

At his reaction, Vanessa let out a hollow laugh through her teeth.

Usually, he was so stiff that she wondered if there could possibly be anyone more wooden than him, but whenever they went on a date, it was hilarious how he turned into a child quietly getting himself into trouble.

That wasn’t to say she disliked seeing this side of him.

Honestly, when they had first gone on a date, she had thought it was nothing more than a waste of time.

But now, whenever they went on a date, she found herself wondering just how much of his clumsy side he was going to reveal.

“……Well.”

Having grasped the situation, Ian tightly gripped the oar and cautiously looked at Vanessa.

“……If I had known this would happen, I should have rented out the aquarium.”

Ah, as expected.

So that thought really had been in his head?

Vanessa turned her head to hide her utterly unimpressed expression.

“Are you perhaps angry?”

“…….”

“……I apologize. If you were displeased because I decided on the place without consulting you, then I am sorry. Vanessa…… Sha.”

The moment Vanessa heard the way he addressed her, she turned her back completely.

Ah, no…… I have to hold it in.

Her shoulders trembled slightly as she desperately tried to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out.

Seeing Vanessa like that, Ian continued in an unusually flustered tone.

“Were you that upset that you were about to cry? Sorry, Vane…… Sasha. I’ll get us there as quickly as possible—”

“Pfft……”

“……?”

First Vanessa…… Sha, and now Vane…… Sasha.

Unable to hold back any longer at the bizarre ways he was addressing her, Vanessa finally broke into laughter, showing her teeth as she chuckled.

“If we’re going to be married, you should at least be able to say my name properly, Ian.”

Vanessa wiped away even the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes with her index finger. Seeing Ian still watching her nervously with his lips tightly pressed together, she spoke in a teasing tone.

“……You’re not angry?”

Well, it was a little bothersome that her plans had gone awry.

But today wasn’t the only day she could meet the Baroness of Piede.

By now, ownership of the Margula Mine would probably have changed from the Baroness of Piede to Lavien Ernasilla, so the matter of the viscount title would likely be resolved soon as well.

The Ernasilla branch family that the Chelliago Ducal Family had gone to such lengths to conceal would become useless.

As for the Marchioness of Leonard, Vanessa had stirred things up on her side too, so for a while, she would be desperately looking for ways to get back at Vanessa.

Then the Baroness of Piede, who was no longer the owner of the mine, would naturally be pushed into the background by the Marchioness.

In other words, she had bought herself some time.

In the end, all that remained was the medicine for her godmother’s granddaughter, who was currently studying abroad in the Eastern Empire. So wasting a little time like this wasn’t a problem at all, as long as she put her mind to it.

Besides, she rather enjoyed watching this stiff man become so clumsy whenever they went on a date.

“Me? Why?”

“Because…… I chose a place like this without asking you.”

“It was a date, wasn’t it?”

Vanessa tilted her head.

“You can choose the place yourself. Not only would I never get angry with you over something like that……”

Vanessa stopped speaking and lifted the canopy on her side.

“I like it. I like looking at scenery like this.”

Riding a water trica had a notoriously bad reputation.

Even sturdy men often ended up suffering from muscle aches after rowing nonstop for an hour, and as time passed, the pain in their backsides only grew worse from sitting on the hard wooden boards.

It wasn’t exactly an ideal place for a date, but despite that, the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.

What fun would there be in going only to places that were already decided upon or places she personally liked?

Sometimes, you had to visit unusual places like this to truly enjoy yourself.

“It’s a date. If I just chose everything according to my own tastes, what fun would that be?”

Of course, once they finished riding this thing, they would have no choice but to head straight home.

Ian slowly rowed instead of answering.

Vanessa hadn’t said it expecting an answer either, so she removed the canopy on her side.

Wow…….

The sight of the emerald-blue lake stretching out before her naturally drew a gasp of admiration from her.

Whenever the warm sunlight reflected off the surface of the lake, it sparkled as though countless green gemstones had been scattered across the water.

The boat moved slowly along the crystal-clear water, clear enough to see the bottom.

Peaceful.

How long had it been since she had felt this way?

When she had returned to the past, honestly, all she had been determined to do was seek revenge.

Even when she proposed marriage to Ian, she had never imagined that they would be able to get along this well.

Vanessa stole a glance at Ian, who silently continued rowing.

The date she had thought would be nothing more than a waste of time was unexpectedly enjoyable.

Thanks to it, she had even experienced the satisfaction of cursing their common enemy together.

And beyond that, she had discovered what it felt like to be able to communicate so well with someone……

If they had skipped dating and gone straight to the wedding, she would have simply thought Ian was impossible to understand. She never would have imagined that he had such a clumsy side.

“Ian.”

“Go ahead.”

She had a feeling.

Perhaps her contract marriage with Ian Ruscliff wouldn’t be nothing but bleak and dreary after all.

“Should we visit the aquarium next time?”

“Do we have to come by boat again?”

“I think there’s a separate guide at the Trica Aquarium?”

“……All right.”

“After the wedding, it might be nice to come here on a trip.”

It was something she had said without thinking.

Vanessa didn’t realize what those words might have meant to the other person.

Because of that, she didn’t notice.

The tips of Ian’s ears had turned red.

La Pont Dunev, the capital of the East and a street known as the Street of Fashion.

This street had been created in honor of Dunev, a foreigner who had nevertheless been recognized for his abilities and awarded a medal as an imperial designer.

True to its reputation as the leader of fashion, the entire street was packed with salons, and the competition between them was fierce.

In her previous life, this was also where the close friend of the Marchioness of Leonard had barely managed to open a salon by paying a hefty premium.

The reason she had been able to establish a salon here at the time was partly because she had the experience of making dresses for Vanessa, the daughter of a ducal family.

That would be impossible now, though.

For reference, the Sovina Salon that had made Vanessa’s dresses was also located on this street.

It really is strange.

Normally, trends gradually spread outward from the central capital, where the imperial family resided.

But befitting its title as the Street of Fashion, experimental clothing and garments that would lead imperial trends all came from this street.

Most nobles still wore cravats, but the people on this street were already wearing neckties. That alone said everything.

Moreover, since the Sharoz Ducal Family was located across the Ramber River, the central capital where the imperial family resided was relatively closer to the ducal estate.

Now that Vanessa was going to become the mistress of the Ruscliff estate, she would be visiting this street frequently in the future.

But there was another reason she had come here today.

Vanessa adjusted her parasol and slowly walked toward the outskirts.

She was going to meet the clothing designer who had been a close friend of the Marchioness of Leonard and had made Vanessa’s dresses in her previous life.

She’s probably drowning in debt by now.

Originally, she would have been able to secure a place on this street because of her experience making Vanessa’s dress, but in this life, she hadn’t even been allowed to touch a single thread……

Moreover, the wedding dress she had made had been completed in only three days, including the dress for the actual ceremony.

After merely hearing from the Marchioness of Leonard that Vanessa might marry Carlisle Leonard, she had almost certainly already purchased everything necessary to make the dress.

That was how it had been in her previous life, too.

Back then, Vanessa had actually married Carlisle, so the designer’s premature preparations had worked out perfectly.

But not this time.

All that would be left now were jewelry and fabrics that were difficult to get rid of.

Vanessa spotted a particularly dazzling sign in the distance and curled her lips into a smile.

In her previous life, the designer had practically sworn her loyalty to the Marchioness of Leonard, claiming that she had been able to secure a place in the salon thanks to the Marchioness’s introduction.

Even though Vanessa herself had been the one wearing her clothes.

Ironically, because her skill wasn’t actually good enough to run a salon of her own, she was eventually abandoned by the Marchioness of Leonard.

Thinking back on that memory, the two women seemed far removed from what Vanessa would call “close friends.”

At best, they were more like master and maid.

It was amusing that the two of them seemed to know that themselves.

If it weren’t for revenge, Vanessa wouldn’t have associated with her at all.

Her boasting and tendency to get ahead of herself were excessive compared to her actual abilities, and Vanessa had lost count of how many times she had seen others become troubled because the woman always spoke before thinking.

But now that she had decided to take revenge on the House of Leonard, it was better to keep every useful card she could get her hands on.

Well then, shall I become her true benefactor this time?

She had already stirred up the hornet’s nest.

Now it was time to hunt the worker bee that had moved at the Marchioness’s every command.